Man United star issues rallying cry after ‘really bad’ Everton loss | OneFootball

Manchester United’s five-match unbeaten run was abruptly halted on Monday night as they suffered a frustrating 1-0 defeat to 10-man Everton at Old Trafford, a result that left players and supporters reeling.

The final whistle was met with a chorus of boos as the Red Devils failed to capitalise on an early advantage, despite their numerical superiority for the majority of the match.

The game took an unexpected turn when Idrissa Gana Gueye was shown a remarkable early red card for slapping teammate Michael Keane.

However, Ruben Amorim’s side, despite dominating possession and the shot count, proved toothless in attack.

They could find no answer to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s curling effort, which ultimately secured a 1-0 victory for Everton, their first at Old Trafford since 2013.

Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt did not mince words when reflecting on the performance.

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Matthijs de Ligt has called for a response from Manchester United (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

"I think today was a really bad night for us, especially the way we played against 10 men," he stated. "We conceded one goal, we didn’t create a lot of chances. I think overall just a really bad performance today."

De Ligt stressed the importance of unity and improvement ahead of their next fixture.

"The next game (at Crystal Palace), obviously, is really important now. We have to bounce back from this performance. We had some good performances the last couple of weeks, and now we had a bad one. I think we can all say that.

“Now it’s for us the case to come back, to stay together and to make clear what has to be better because, obviously, today was not good enough."

The defeat marked a significant milestone for David Moyes, the former United boss, who secured his first Premier League win at Old Trafford as a visiting manager on his 18th attempt.

United’s inability to convert any of their 25 shots, with Jordan Pickford in impressive form to rebuff their six attempts on target, highlighted their inefficiency. In stark contrast, Everton’s solitary shot on target found the back of the net.

"It is frustrating, but that’s football," De Ligt told MUTV. "The Premier League is not for the weak.

“One chance could be a goal and, yeah, if they score after one chance and we don’t then that makes the difference. That’s the difference between winning and losing, the efficiency. Today we lacked that.

“I think today we lacked maybe the urgency to score the goals, to create the chances, and then you know against a team like Everton, who drops back and who are really strong in the air, it’s going to be quite difficult. That basically sums up the night."

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Jordan Pickford was delighted to pick up his first ever win at Old Trafford (Getty Images)

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrated a personal milestone, securing his first victory at the historic ground.

"It’s my first victory here. It’s a tough place to come, it’s got a lot of history. I love playing here and results haven’t come in my time here with Everton," he remarked.

Pickford revealed the manager’s pre-game motivation: "The manager said before the game, ‘You want to be a proper team and push up the table, tonight’s the time to stamp your authority and get a result’.

“We know it’s not as easy as that, but we gave what the gaffer wanted and we got our rewards. He was really happy. The way we’ve trained this week, I think he’s wanted this quite hard and we got the result."

Manchester United will now look to rebound when they travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Everton will host Newcastle on Saturday evening, buoyed by their unexpected triumph.